Discharger for condensation water



Aug. 23, 1966 HANS-MARTIN PAPE 3,267,951

DISCHARGER FOR CONDENSATION WATER Original Filed April 16, 1962 whu vggmlf TFOYLNEss United States Patent 3,267,951 DISCHARGER FOR CONDENSATION WATER Hans-Martin Pape, Bremen-Horn, Germany, assignor to Gustav F. Gerdts K.G., Bremen, Germany, a corporation of Germany Original application Apr. 16, 1962, Ser. No. 187,517, now Patent No. 3,200,834, dated Aug. 17, 1965. Divided and this application Nov. 25, 1964, Ser. No. 420,480 2 Claims. (Cl. 137183) This application is a division of the application Serial No. 187,517, filed April 16, 1962, now Patent No. 3,200,- 834 issued August 17, 1965.

This invention relates to a discharger for condensation water and refers more particularly to a discharger the in ner chamber of which is divided by a freely movable valve plate cooperating with a sealing surface provided with escape passages into a pressure chamber and an outflow chamber, whereby when pressure in the pressure chamber is increased, the valve plate in cooperation with the sealing surface closes the inlet channel, while the outflow chamber having the shape of an annular recess formed in the sealing surfaces cooperates with the mouth or mouths of the outflow channel or channels.

Prior art dischargers of this type have the drawback that the opening and closing movements of the valve plate resulting from continuously repeating increases and drops in pressure caused by steam, take place during very short time periods, so that there is a great loss in steam, as Well as substantial wear of the sealing surfaces and the valve plate; furthermore, the escape passages which are often hair thin are very quickly clogged up by dirt, so that air discharge intended by the escape passages is stopped. When the apparatus is started again, for example, after stoppage or as the result of a larger supply of air, this air as Well as the subsequently precipitated condensate cannot be withdrawn any more due to continuing clogging. Thus the escape passages, the purpose of which is to provide for a better removal of air by rapid escape thereof during the stoppage period cannot be effective any more.

An object of the present invention is to improve dischargers of this type and their operation.

Another object is to improve the air removing capacity of such dischargers.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

In accomplishing the objects of the present invention it was found desirable to provide a construction wherein the space constituting the pressure chamber is located below the casing block and is made overly large, its size being the greatest possible multiple, but at least the double of the stroke space of the valve plate, the usual escape pas sages which in prior art were adapted to the small volume of the pressure chamber, being also made overly large corresponding to the increase in volume of the pressure chamber.

Due to this feature of the present invention the closing time periods of the valve plate become considerably longer, as long as steam remains. Since there is always a large supply of condensation water (Water sack) in the pressure chamber of large volume located below the casing block, this water will be repeatedly changed to steam due to pressure decreases, so that a steam cushion will remain in the pressure chamber and thus closing pressure will continue to be exerted upon the valve plate so long as this evaporation is continuing and until it is terminated. This will prolong to a substantial extent the duration of the closing pressure, so thatso long as steam remains, the opening movements will be substantially decreased, resulting in a diminution of steam losses and in less wear and tear.

An increase in the volume of the pressure chamber is also necessary in order to provide a quicker and better air removal, resulting in a further improvement of the functions of the discharger. Namely, the change in volume makes it possible to substantially increase the size of the escape passages, so that during the closing period and while steam remains, a considerably better removal of air is attained, since air can escape faster and in larger amounts through the larger passages. Furthermore, the danger that the passages may be reduced and clogged up by dirt particles is eliminated to the greatest extent, so that a considerably more reliable removal of air is attained, thereby eliminating lengthy interruptions and thus avoiding undesirable excessive cooling. The escape passages which heretofore generally had the width of so-called hair splits, can be increased with safety and without running the risk that thereby the known high opening frequencies will be again produced in the steam, which would cancel the advantages attained by an increase in volume. On the contrary, despite the increase in the size of escape passages, the desired further increase in the duration of closing periods-while steam remains-is made possible.

It was found by actual experimentation that the sizes of the escape passages can amount to at least 1.5 of their normal size, if the value 1 be used to designate the size of such passages in known thermodynamic dischargers of the usual type having pressure chambers of small volume. It was found particularly advantageous in the case of a small nominal width of inch to provide escape passages the cross-sectional area of which is not less than mm.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing showing, by way of example, a section through an apparatus of the present invention.

The drawing shows an apparatus having a central support or casing block 17 which carries all the other parts of the apparatus and which is provided with an inlet opening 18 and an outflow opening 19. An inlet channel 20 is connected with the inlet opening 18 through a connecting channel 23 while an outlet channel 21 is connected with the outflow opening 19 through a connecting channel 22. A hollow chamber 24 is provided above the inlet channel 20 and serves as a decanting channel which is covered from the outside by a cover 25 mounted upon the support '17.

Sealing surfaces 26 are located upon the lower end of the support 17 and are in communication with a valve plate 4' which has a short stroke. The stroke of the valve plate is limited, on the one hand, by the sealing surfaces 26 and, on the other hand, by radial projections 27 extending into the pressure chamber and adapted to carry the valve plate.

The projections 27 determine the relationship in size between the volume of the pressure chamber 29 and the volume of the stroke space for the valve plate 4. In accordance with the present invention this ratio should be such that the volume of the pressure chamber should constitute the greatest possible multiple of the volume of the stroke space for the valve plate 4.

After numerous experiments it was discovered that a particularly advantageous ratio of the stroke space volume to the pressure chamber volume is 1: about 66 i 33 /3 By providing a pressure chamber of large volume and by arranging the casing 28 of the pressure chamber below the valve plate 4, a container is provided which can receive the condensate in larger amounts, which can remain filled with correspondingly hot condensate for a longer time period, and from which in case of a drop in pressure the expanding steam can be continuously freed, thereby delaying to a substantial extent the lowering of the closing pressure within the pressure chamber, with the result that the opening frequency is greatly diminished.

The casing 28 containing the pressure chamber 29 is pot-like in shape and its longitudinal axis preferably coincides with the stroke axis of the valve plate.

Obviously, the pressure chamber may be made of a different form.

The cover 25 and the casing 28 which is preferably provided with flanges 30, are located opposite each other and are interconnected by clamping members or iron ties 31 which also clamp the central support 17 located between them.

The casing 28 is enclosed by a cover 32 which protects it against external temperature efiects. The cover 32 is spaced from the casing 28 and the intermediate space 33 can be filled with a suitable insulating material. The protecting cover 32 may be made of a plastic material, sheet metal or the like, and is preferably mounted at its bottom upon a bolt 34 of the casing 28, the cover 32 being re movably held by a screw 35.

To prevent as much as possible the penetration of foreign matter to the sealing surfaces 26 serving as a valve seat, and also to the escape passages, a sieve 36 is mounted in the by-pass channel 24 to serve as a dirt collector.

It is apparent that the above-described example has been given solely by way of illustration and not by way of limitation and that it is subject to many variations and modifications Within the scope of the present invention. All such variations and modifications are to be included within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A condensate discharger, comprising a central casing block, a casing located below said casing block and connected therewith, a valve plate movable within said casing from a closing position to an open position and vice versa through a stroke space within said casing, said casing block having an inlet opening, an outflow opening and inflow and outflow channels connected with said openings and communicating with the interior of said casing, a cover mounted upon said casing block and enclosing a hollow space communicating with said inflow channel, a sieve constituting a dirt collector and mounted in said hollow space, said casing being located opposite said cover relatively to said casing block, said valve plate and said casing block having sealing surfaces which are in engagement when said valve plate is in said closing position, said valve plate closing said inflow channel in said closing position, said casing enclosing a pressure chamber located below said stroke space, said pressure chamber being of substantially large size and a multiple of the size of said stroke space, whereby steam produced by the condensate in the pressure chamber diminishes the frequency of the stroke of said valve plate, the inflow channel extending through the entire casing block from said hollow space to said sealing surfaces and said pressure chamber.

2. A discharger in accordance with claim 1, comprising a protective heat-insulating cover enclosing said casing, and means connecting the bottom of said casing with said cover.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,350,947 6/ 1944 Upton 23661 2,634,744 4/1953 Wells 13720O FOREIGN PATENTS 827,989 2/1960 Great Britain.

WILLIAM F. ODEA, Primary Examiner.

ALAN COHAN, ISADOR WEIL, Examiners. 

1. A CONDENSATE DISCHARGE, COMPRISING A CENTRAL CASING BLOCK, A CASING LOCATED BELOW SAID CASING BLOCK AND CONNECTED THEREWITH, A VALVE PLATE MOVABLE WITHIN SAID CASING FROM A CLOSING POSITION TO AN OPEN POSITION AND VICE VERSA THROUGH A STROKE SPACE WITHIN SAID CASING, SAID CASING BLOCK HAVING AN INLET OPENING, AN OUTFLOW OPENING AND INFLOW AND OUTFLOW CHANNELS CONNECTED WITH SAID OPENINGS AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID CASING, A COVER MOUNTED UPON SAID CASING BLOCK AND ENCLOSING A HOLLOW SPACE COMMUNICATING WITH SAID INFLOW CHANNEL, A SIEVE CONSTITUTING A DIRT COLLECTOR AND MOUNTED IN SAID HOLLOW SPACE, SAID CASING BEING LOCATED OPPOSITE SAID COVER RELATIVELY TO SAID CASING BLOCK, SAID VALVE PLATE AND SAID CASING BLOCK HAVING SEALING SURFACES WHICH ARE IN ENGAGEMENT WHEN SAID VALVE PLATE IS IN SAID CLOSING POSITION, SAID VALVE PLATE CLOSING SAID INFLOW CHANNEL IN SAID CLOSING POSITION, SAID CASING ENCLOSING A PRESSURE CHAMBER LOCATED BELOW SAID STROKE SPACE, SAID PRESSURE CHAMBER BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY LARGE SIZE AND A MULTIPLE OF THE SIZE OF SAID STROKE SPACE, WHEREBY STEAM PRODUCED BY THE CONDENSATE IN THE PRESSURE CHAMBER DIMINISHES THE FREQUENCY OF THE STROKE OF SAID VALVE PLATE, THE INFLOW CHANNEL EXTENDING THROUGH THE ENTIRE CASING BLOCK FROM SAID HOLLOW SPACE TO SAID SEALING SURFACES AND SAID PRESSURE CHAMBER. 